One 20 mile workout down, two to go!

Wednesday is my day off, so I took advantage of my free time (and avoided doing house chores!) and planned to do my first 20 mile workout before the marathon.

Here are a few things I learned: 

1) I like knowing the route.  

Last week, Aaron helped map out a 16 mile course for me, and I felt anxious not knowing where my next milestone would be.  I set up a 5 mile route that I already knew, and I ran there and back 2x.  Knowing the route helped me plan and set my pace. 

2) I like setting up my own aid stations. 

When Aaron helped me the week before, he set up my aid stations for me, and because I didn't know where exactly they'd be and how far they would be spread apart, I got really discouraged.  One aid station took about 7 miles to get to, and because it was so hot out, I ran out of water in my fuel belt.  Yep, feel free to laugh.  I sport one of these when I run outside : )  

3) I actually really like running outside. 

Over the summer, I ran indoors solely because it was so dang hot and humid out.  I enjoy taking in the surroundings, and the best part is that I get to look behind myself and see how far I've run!  I recently bought a watch to help me keep on pace.  The one thing I did NOT like was the fact that people will let their dogs run loose.  One dog did about half of my workout with me.  She is friendly dog, but she nearly was hit by a car numerous times.  During one pass by her house, I actually knocked on the door to return her, but nobody reponded.  

I feel like I did pretty well overall - I kept track on my watch, and most of the time, I was coming in under my goals.  However, on my last 5 miles, it started to rain pretty hard, and I had a fairly strong head wind that made me feel like I was running no faster than I could walk.  So, I started to walk with about 3 miles to go... and I couldn't get started again.

I am doing a walk/job combination for the race, but I never walk more than a few minutes at a time.  I walked through this strong wind for about 12-15 minutes, and my muscles just didn't want to go any more. I tried running several times, but my legs felt like lead weights.  The time for my last 5 miles was not so great, but I FINISHED!!!!   

Aaron met me at the 10 mile and the 15 mile marks, and it was SOOO good to see him.  

I am doing at least one more really long workout before the marathon on November 3rd - my plan is to do 23 miles and if I have time, I will do another 20 mile workout.  I am unsure if I will have the time to do it though; you are supposed to taper your running the last few weeks before the marathon, and I may run out of time to my last 20 mile workout.

Here are a few photos from my run today (they have been instagrammed):

My route took me through the cornfields of Johnson county.  The cornfields and the cooler weather make me think of fall.  

These beauties were across the street from where I parked.

These cows were so sweet and curious.  They were slow moving and seemed to look at me quizzically as if they wondered what the rush was all about.

Total side note, but they got me thinking... I don't think I could eat meat any more if I wanted to.  I decided to go vegetarian in 2009 because I hated factory farms; they are horrible for the environment, and the living conditions for the animals is terrible.   I don't necessary oppose meat consumption, but I DO oppose factory farming.  Even cutting down on your meat consumption helps.... side note over : )

I also saw some cute horses during my run as well.  Their two companions are not pictured.

Fun weekend

I love Fall (so do lots of other people - just watch for Facebook and Twitter to explode with comments like: "Yay!  Pumpkin Spice Lattes are back!" or "Yummy - pumpkin muffins" or "Hooray for fall!"), and incidentally, we had a free-ish weekend just as Fall officially started.  We decided to take advantage of the time and great weather to do some fun things.

After we did some serious yard work on Saturday morning/afternoon (BLECH!), we headed to Adrian Orchards to hit up their Cider bar and walk around the pumpkin patch.  We bought a jar of apple butter, got a gallon of cider for ourselves (and 1/2 gallons for our parents).

The only fun part of the yard work was planting these mums . And check out my summer petunias - they are still hanging on!!  

The orchard is walking distance from my elementary school.  I remember taking field trips there as a kid . 

In front of the apple trees and pumpkin patch. 

A freaking adorable building.  This is the store portion of the orchard.  

Later that evening, we made dinner and started a bonfire and enjoyed the cider.

Sunday, we went to church, I did some of my marathon training (I'm doing a 20 mile run this week - EEEKK!!!), and then we met my father in law at Town Run Trail park for some mountain biking.  YEAAHH!!!!

We saw some deer while we were riding - I had to zoom from forever away, so they're hard to see.  I made a pathetic attempt to circle them in red... Trust me, it was cool to see them.  

Sadly, this park runs right by I-465, so these deer are hanging out in a dangerous spot.  We quickly moved on so that we didn't spook them into traffic.  

2 Year Wedding Anniversary - Part 2: Sailing!

To conclude our anniversary celebration, we bought a LivingSocial deal to go sailing on Geist reservoir.  We went yesterday, and the weather was beautiful!

It was relaxing fun, and well, hear are some photos:

(Oh yeah, and there was no wind, so we didn't even get to use the sails).

2 Year Wedding Anniversary - Part 1: Chocolate Hieroglyphics

I pulled up to the stoplight and quickly checked the mirror to make sure I looked ok.  I was headed to meet Aaron for dinner to celebrate our two year anniversary, and I was running a little behind, so I had also taken a quick peek at my phone to check the time.

As I pulled up to the light and stopped, I noticed a man holding a cardboard sign asking for money.  I suddenly felt guilty about the iPhone I was holding and for worrying about if my hair was still in place.

Before I even got a chance to think about grabbing my wallet to hand him any spare change I had (I typically have less than a dollar in spare change to use for the vending machine at work), the light turned green, and my thoughts shifted to finding a parking spot.

Seeing people like this man always remind me of how lucky I am (I know, I know, some of them are total scammers and make more money than I do, but I am convinced that there may be legit needy people asking).

The feelings of gratitude spilled over into my thoughts at dinner.  Aaron and I have faced a few setbacks lately, and I had gotten into a bad habit of feeling a little sorry for myself and for us.  No, maybe we aren't accomplishing some of the goals we'd set out for ourselves as quickly as we'd like, but we've both experienced a lot of personal growth in the last year and certainly in the last two years since we first married.

I don't even know how to fully express the mixture of emotions I felt - a combination of happiness, nostalgia, guilt (for feeling an ounce of sorry for myself ever), hope, and other feelings that words couldn't describe.

It's all part of the journey I guess - we have a LOT of time ahead of us.  We might as well enjoy the ride, soak up the scenery, and have a few laughs.  Part of our discussion revolved around what's to come and how to look forward to the future without feeling discontent in the present - not an easy task.

To say the least, I am thrilled that our nearly 8 year long relationship has evolved into something truly fulfilling for us both.  The changes in us both are remarkable, and we are fortunate to have grown in the same direction while maintaining our own hobbies, activities, and friends.  We are still best friends, travel companions, work out partners, and confidants.

Stay tuned for Part 2!  We are taking sailing lessons to finish up celebrating our 2 year wedding anniversary!

Ok, now on to a few pictures from this evening:

We got a special seat on the balcony in the restaurant we were married in - Euphoria.  This screenshot is from their website.  Recognize anyone?  

The sky was a bit cloudy, but who cares?!  It's our anniversary!

Our wedding cake was carrot cake (a vegan version!), so we ordered this (non-vegan) version from the menu.   IThe "Happy Anniversary" message melted in the heat into chocolate hieroglyphics.  

Who says Indianapolis isn't amazing?  This view is stunning!

These two chairs placed here may seem unimportant to most, but they hold significance to us.  We hung out in this spot right after our ceremony in disbelief over what we had just happened, waiting to go to our reception (we had our ceremony on the balcony of the restaurant and then ate inside the restaurant).

For whatever reason, this short, stolen moment alone together is forever etched in our memories

Happy 2 year anniversary sweetheart!  

Reflections and intentions: August

Despite my best intentions, it's been a while since I set aside to determine my goals for the month and reflect on last month's goals.

Oh well - here are July/August reflections and intentions... a few days late!!

Last month:  

1) Finish the art project we started in JUNE.  

Yes, we finally did!!  It looks great.  

We found a neat photo of a bike online and modified it so that it would look like a tandem bike. 

2) Work at least 10-20 minutes of Spanish practice in 5 days a week 

I made a more conscious effort to practice my Spanish, but I fell short on this goal.  

3) Translate several documents at work into Spanish 

Yes, I accomplished this goal with the help of one of my co-workers!  We now have many really important documents that the Spanish speaking public will need (information about our low-cost vaccine clinic, how to surrender, information about heartworm testing and prevention, etc.).  

4) Get up to 10 miles like my running training guide says

I actually surpassed this goal and completed an 11 mile run.  I am very pleased to say that I will be completing a 14 mile run this weekend which is a big deal for me - the furthest I have ever run is 13.1 miles (the distance of a mini marathon).  

5) Clean out my car

We'll consider this one an utter failure.  I have been really busy with work, my volunteering, training schedule, and spending time with Aaron.  Unfortunately, I do not prioritize my domestic duties.  I try to push myself to live differently - more boldly and interestingly - so that usually means that I push household duties to the side in order to spend the most time doing things that are fulfilling to me.  Let's just say I maintain the household cleaning begrudgingly and sometimes let the laundry pile up  

Goals for August: 

1) Work out 5 days a week - I started this goal at the beginning of August and have been successful so far.  

2) Make travel plans for a conference for work that I am attending at the end of October. 

3) Plan a fun activity with my mom (it feels like I haven't spent quality time with her in a while!) 

4) Complete two sewing projects that have been on my list (see my comments above about putting off domestic chores!) 

5) Finish the book I'm reading for marathon inspiration: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Wind-Midlife-Marathons-Continents/dp/1580053076

6) Write a journal entry chronicling my thoughts about starting a new position at the Humane Society.  I will be the new office manager at the Indianapolis Animal Welfare Center.  I will also (hopefully) get to dedicate more time to one of our outreach programs too - http://spayindiana.org/

7) Plan our 2 year wedding anniversary celebration for September!
8) Keep up my Spanish practice but not worry too much about sticking to 5 days a week.  Starting a new position will be hard enough - I don't need to overwhelm myself too much!

I am not a runner: my insecurities and excitement about completing a full marathon

I am in disbelief - I just signed up for a full marathon.  I feel excited, scared, and a little crazy!

Aaron and I completed two mini marathons last year, and I LOVED them.  I am not at all the type of person who would say she loves to run, but the race atmosphere is so much fun, and it feels great to complete the race. 

It's also a lot of fun to see how you change and improve during your training.  A transformation also happens in your attitude: the beginning of training can be tough, but you start to look forward to your workouts and feel excited to beat your prior times.

I am the type of person who LOVES goals and to-do lists.  I constantly need something to work towards to push myself because I crave challenge and new experiences, so doing this marathon is right up my alley!

I have been training for several months already to get myself into shape prior to the REAL workouts, and I promised myself that I wouldn't sign  up for the race or buy myself a new pair of shoes until I really started to look forward to my workouts.

So, last week, I bought myself a new pair of shoes and retired my old, ugly, worn out pair.  I chose the Saucony Kinvarna 2 shoes.  Aren't they beautiful?  They feel great!

I also signed up for my race (tonight!), and while I am SUPER excited, I am a little scared.  Of course, I am afraid of moving beyond my comfort zone and doubling the race length that I've done in the past, but I am also worried about my time.

I am planning to run most of the course, but I am not so competitive yet that I am unwilling to do a little walking.  I am afraid I will feel embarrassed about my time because I am "not a real runner."

Certainly, just finishing is an accomplishment in itself, and I must remind myself of that.  I am going to join a running group like Blue Mile to improve my time (I am very competitive and anticipate that I will push myself harder in a group setting!). 

Reflections and Intentions

Let's review June!   

1) Stick to the workout goals I set for myself:
I did a terrible job - I skipped an entire week of running.  I got a little burned out on running from doing so much, so I started throwing in other sports into the mix to keep it interesting.  So far, so good!

2) Plan a creative date night for us:
For Christmas, I promised Aaron a monthly surprise in 2012.  Instead of a date, I bought him a book about cycling.... that I ended up reading too : )

It's a great read about a guy whose life was changed through cycling: http://www.amazon.com/Heft-Wheels-Field-Guide-Doing/dp/1400052416

3) Finish the art project (that we already started) for our spare bedroom:
I made progress, but it's not done.   Will post pictures when it's completed!

4) Survive living with 4 dogs in our house for a week:
We watched my parents' pair of chihuahuas while they were on vacation.  One of them is pretty unruly, but he turned out to be pretty fun.... except when he darted out of the house late one night, and I had to chase after him in my pajamas and flip flops.  Hello neighbors!

Here's a cute video of him playing with Angel (never mind my laughing!):


Aren't the sounds he makes hilarious?

5) Get mulch for the flower garden:
The weather decided to turn 100 degrees all of a sudden, so this may be a fall project....

6) Create a proposal for the Indianapolis Animal Welfare Alliance board to involve other groups' volunteers for the food pantry:
SUCCESS!  I presented to the board about getting all of the member groups involved with providing the food pantry with volunteers, and they were very supportive of the endeavor.  One group has already helped with providing volunteers.

More about the Alliance here: http://indyanimalalliance.org/

7) Make headway on a large and exciting project for the pet foo pantry:
I made progress on this goal, but I am not quiiiiite ready to share details!

Ok, now for July intentions (a little late now that we're halfway through the month!): 

1) Finally finish that stinking art project!!!!
2) Work at least 10 - 20 minutes of Spanish practice in 5 days a week
3) Translate several documents at work into Spanish (this can double count for #2!)
4) Get up to 10 miles like my running training guide says (this should be fairly easy as I've already completed several 9 mile runs in the past month).
5) Clean out my car